Thaksin, the technophile | Bangkok Post: learning

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If you get annoyed with people who constantly interrupt conversations with mobile phone calls, you’d probably have a very difficult time talking to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thaksin turns his focus to one of his eight mobile phones during the interview.

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Thaksin, the technophile

If you get annoyed with people who constantly interrupt conversations by making and receiving mobile phone calls, you’d probably have a very difficult time talking to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

At his interview with Post Today in Brunei recently, he was seen with eight mobiles phones ready for action.

The former prime minister started the interview by switching from one phone he had been talking on to another. Among his collection were several Blackberrys, at least two Apple iPhones and what appeared to be a Samsung Galaxy touch-screen model, among others.

"Some periods are busier than others [in using the phones]," shrugged Thaksin as he ran through a message list on one Blackberry.

A genuine technophile, Thaksin built his fortune by founding Thailand's largest mobile phone operator and sole satellite operator. Later, as prime minister, he initiated policies to raise computer literacy, broaden online public services and expand information technology.

Adapted from a story in today’s Bangkok Post.

interview – a meeting (often a public one) at which a journalist asks somebody questions in order to find out their opinions, experiences, etc. การสัมภาษณ์
technophile – a person who is enthusiastic about new technology
annoyed – feeling slightly angry or impatient รู้สึกรำคาญใจ
constantly – continuously; all the time อย่างต่อเนื่อง
interrupt – to say or do something that makes somebody stop what they are saying or doing ขัดจังหว
switch – to change เปลี่ยน
collection – a group of objects, often of the same sort, that have been collected (gathered together over period of time) การสะสม การเก็บรวบรวม
appear – to seem ดูเหมือนจะ, ดูเหมือนว่า
period – a particular length of time  ระยะเวลา
shrug – to raise your shoulders and then drop them to show that you do not know or care about something or think that it is important ยักไหล่เพื่อแสดงความไม่สนใจหรือไม่ทราบ
genuine – real; honest แท้
fortune – a large amount of money, goods, property, etc  ทรัพย์สมบัติมากมาย
found – to start an organisation, company, political party etc  สร้าง,  ก่อตั้ง, สถาปนา
operator – a person or company that runs a business ผู้ดำเนินกิจการทางธุรกิจ, ผู้ประกอบธุรกิจ
sole – only เดี่ยวๆ
satellite – an electronic device that is sent into space and moves around the earth or another planet. It is used for communicating by radio, television, etc. and for providing information ดาวเทียม
initiate – to start something or make it start  ริเริ่ม
policy – a set of plans or action agreed on by a government, political party, business, or other group นโยบาย
computer literacy – basic knowledge of how to use a computer การรู้คอมพิวเตอร์ขั้นพื้นฐาน
broaden – to increase the range of something ขยับขยาย
expand – to make or become larger ขยาย

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